"Since the establishment of the Tribunal, A-009 has been transferred to various locations in East洲 for investigation. Zhao Xilai has always wanted to figure out what caused her to lose control... but the 'corrosion ability' is too tricky, making experiments difficult to conduct."

Mr. Shu took out a cigarette from his pocket, tried to light it once, but failed.

The wind on the rooftop was strong, and the flame was extinguished as soon as it appeared.

Seeing this, Gu Shen thoughtfully moved closer to block the wind, opening his coat. This time, the old man successfully lit the cigarette.

A puff of smoke was gently exhaled.

The wind scattered it quickly.

"As you can see, no shackles can hold A-009. No matter what material is used, it will slowly dissolve... No matter how often the restraints are replaced, dissolution is only a matter of time." Mr. Shu's face was shrouded in the drifting smoke. He seemed to smile. "So over the years, Zhao Xilai has spent a lot of resources on this experiment, but has made no progress. The only breakthrough was during observation in a closed environment, researchers saw A-009 take out a boning knife and an old newspaper. They believe these are invaluable transcendent sealing objects, and are likely the cause of her loss of control."

Looking at the face beneath the smoke, Gu Shen couldn't help but speculate.

Why was that great figure with such power so persistent in investigating A-009's loss of control?

The Ancient Text Society... Alan Turing... Old newspaper... A series of keywords flashed through his mind.

Alan Turing, who developed Deep Sea and single-handedly connected data from five continents, had been dead for many years.

It was said that Alan Turing died of illness. On the day of his passing, the flags of the council were lowered across the five continents, and many people spontaneously took to the streets to hold a grand funeral for him. If he remembered correctly, he hadn't even been born that year.

This Godfather of Deep Sea had worked at the "Ancient Text Society" for a period of time, researching forbidden science... but later, no one ever heard of the Ancient Text Society again. With the death of Alan Turing, this mysterious organization also disappeared from the world, as if it had never existed.

No one cared, because without the Ancient Text Society, the world continued to function perfectly well.

But obviously.

The truth was not like that... Someone still cared about the Ancient Text Society. That great figure who granted the pardon had been investigating for more than ten years and still hadn't given up.

"Wait, A-009... never took out the ruler in front of outsiders?"

Gu Shen suddenly realized a very important piece of information.

"That's right..."

"Never!" Mr. Shu revealed a gratified smile and said, "At least, not in front of them... that's how it is."

"Then how did you..."

Halfway through his words, Gu Shen immediately shut his mouth.

He was very good at observing people's expressions and knew what to say and what not to say.

He realized that Mr. Shu knew a little too much about "A-009"... Could it be that the two of them knew each other before A-009 lost control?

Curiosity killed the cat.

Since Mr. Shu had decided to "protect" him, then the cause and effect were not important.

"Do you want to know?" Mr. Shu was as generous as ever. "I can tell you!"

"No, no, no, please don't."

Gu Shen quickly shook his head, covering his ears at the first opportunity.

He had already learned about this old rogue's methods.

For himself at this stage... knowing too much was not a good thing!

Seeing this, Mr. Shu couldn't help but laugh, but as he laughed, the expression in his eyes became complicated.

The old man looked into the distance with a sigh.

This time, he didn't force the issue, but really kept quiet.

So the rooftop was silent for more than ten seconds.

People are really cheap creatures... When the other party stopped talking, Gu Shen's heart itched instead.

Looking at the old guy's secretive look, Gu Shen thought about it again and again, and put away all thoughts of getting to the bottom of it.

He carefully released his hands covering his ears and asked seriously, "So... are you telling me all this to take the ruler back?"

"No."

Mr. Shu shook his head.

"You can keep this ruler... Its name is 'Ruler of Truth.' I believe you already know how to use it." Zhou Jiren looked at Gu Shen and said seriously, "You handled the transcendent event on the rooftop very well. Battles between transcendents are extremely dangerous. You must be ruthless and not show any mercy. If you had the idea of sparing the other party's life at the time, you would be the one hacked to pieces on the rooftop now."

"But there is one thing you need to pay attention to... The Ruler of Truth consumes a lot of mental power. Do not use it lightly unless necessary. Otherwise..."

Saying this, he smiled playfully.

"The feeling of lying in Da Teng Hospital isn't good, is it?"

Gu Shen's face paled. He had a deep understanding of the pain of overdrawing mental power.

"Since you can use the 'Ruler of Truth,' it means your mental potential isn't that bad. I won't misjudge people... You're still hiding something about your understanding of the Jīngzhé dream, right?" The old guy smiled slyly. "You don't have to admit it or deny it, just keep it in mind. It's a good thing to know how to hide your abilities, but when necessary, you still have to show your edge."

Gu Shen's heart tightened.

He felt that this old guy had seen through him inside and out.

What secrets did he still have that the other party didn't know? Probably... only his link with Chu Ling.

"Okay... since we're being so frank."

Gu Shen looked at Mr. Shu and took a deep breath. "Then I have nothing to hide—"

"I don't understand why you chose me. I don't understand why I'm 'S.' Since you know everything... then you should also know that I'm not the transcendent the Tribunal is looking for at all!"

This was the big stone that had been weighing on Gu Shen's heart during the special training.

After saying it all in one breath, he felt much better.

Throughout the entire process, Mr. Shu didn't say a single word, just quietly looking at Gu Shen. He uncharacteristically didn't laugh, like a serious listener.

After waiting for Gu Shen to finish, he slowly asked, "So... do you wish you were?"

Gu Shen was stunned.

What kind of words were those... What did he mean by wishing he was?!

His mind flashed back to scene after scene.

Nan Jin could chop his dog's head off from eight hundred meters away with one slash. Senior Brother Zhong Wei's speed was faster than a cheetah. And Senior Sister Luo was even more incredible... She was simply a god.

Who wouldn't want to be someone like that?

"I heard about what happened at the training ground from Zhong Wei... After two weeks of special training, you cut down a wooden dummy with your own strength." Mr. Shu saw Gu Shen's embarrassed expression and said seriously, "Don't think it's nothing. It's an amazing thing! Everything starts from a sapling. At least this is your own power!"

He paused and said, "Nan Jin's ability is called 'Lánqiē'. When 'Lánqiē' was entrusted to me, it couldn't even cut that wooden dummy. It took her ten years to reach her current level. No one is born a genius with a mortal body comparable to the gods. Everyone in the Tribunal, including me, started from scratch, growing step by step..."

"So, Gu Shen... I only ask you one question..."

The old man stared seriously at the young man and spoke once again.

"Do you wish you were?"

The wind roared on the rooftop.

The first time, the young man's voice was not loud and was drowned out by the wind.

"Yes."

Then he paused for a moment.

The last image lingering in his mind was the moment when Senior Sister Luo stared at him in the training ground.

Gu Shen looked up at the old man, and the second time, his voice rose. "Of course!"